At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the growth strategy for iconic chocolate and snacking brands across Europe.
- Company: Join a purpose-driven company with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus, and access to Mars University for continuous learning.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth in a diverse and inclusive environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on beloved brands while leading a dynamic team.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in brand leadership and navigating complex organisations.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Job Description
The Regional Brand Portfolio Director for Chocolate & Snacking Bars is a high-impact leadership role responsible for developing, deploying, governing, and tracking the long-term growth and commercial strategy for our iconic Bars portfolio across Europe and Central Eurasia.
In this role, you will take direct ownership of driving annual regional growth targets, leading a high-performing team of 5 direct marketing reports, and aligning a cross-functional brand community across multiple European countries and functions.
You will also partner closely with the Global Portfolio Vice President to influence and shape our global brand and portfolio strategies.
The role reports into Regional Marketing Vice President - Europe & Central Eurasia
Job Description
The Regional Brand Portfolio Director for Chocolate & Snacking Bars is a high-impact leadership role responsible for developing, deploying, governing, and tracking the long-term growth and commercial strategy for our iconic Bars portfolio across Europe and Central Eurasia.
In this role, you will take direct ownership of driving annual regional growth targets, leading a high-performing team of 5 direct marketing reports, and aligning a cross-functional brand community across multiple European countries and functions.
You will also partner closely with the Global Portfolio Vice President to influence and shape our global brand and portfolio strategies.
The role reports into Regional Marketing Vice President - Europe & Central Eurasia
Duration: 12 Months FTC (possibility of transitioning into a permanent role after 12 months.)
- Preferred Location: Dublin or Slough (please share with us your mobility across Europe)
- Context and Scope
This role requires a highly strategic mindset to translate high-level vision into robust local market actions.
Operating within a complex matrix structure, the Director must navigate high levels of ambiguity and build strong relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders beyond the marketing function (including Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, and Global Portfolio VPs) to ensure the portfolio strategy remains dynamic, relevant, and commercially effective over time.
- Market Scope & Scale
- Geographic Scope: Europe and Central Eurasia (spanning 55 countries).
- Financial Scale: Managing an iconic brand portfolio exceeding $2 Billion in net sales.
- Team Leadership: Direct leadership of a high-performing team of 5 marketing professionals, and matrix leadership of a broad cross-functional community.
What are we looking for?
- Strategic
- Brand
Leadership: Significant, proven experience in developing and leading the execution of regional brand-building strategies within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG/FMCG) industry.
- Matrix
- Organisation
Management: Expert-level capability in navigating complex, matrixed multinational organisations and driving alignment among a diverse group of senior stakeholders.
- Strategic Perspective & Agility: A strong track record of breakthrough thinking, managing long-term product pipelines, and looking at the business from a broad, macro-level perspective.
- People Leadership: Outstanding experience in leading, coaching, and developing teams of expert marketing talent.
- Influencing & Networking: Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to build strong, collaborative networks of influence across multiple functions.
- Cross-Cultural Competence: Successful experience working across diverse cultures and international borders.
- Core Leadership Competencies
- Strategic Agility & Perspective: Practices breakthrough thinking and links long-term vision to action.
- Dealing with Ambiguity & Business Acumen: Comfortably navigates complex regional challenges, makes sound decisions under pressure, and demonstrates deep financial understanding.
- Managing Vision, Purpose & Command Skills: Engages, inspires, and aligns teams around shared commercial goals, demonstrating clear leadership presence.
- Core Functional Competencies & Technical Skills
- Strategic Planning: Creating compelling, data-driven brand strategies and commercial roadmaps.
- Portfolio & Budget Management: Driving disciplined annual planning, prioritisation, and resource allocation.
- Consistent Financial Investment: Directing brand investments and measuring ROI effectively.
- Innovation Management: Successfully designing and managing a robust 1-to-3 year regional product pipeline.
What will be your key responsibilities?
- Long-Term Strategic Growth & Value Creation
- Strategic Growth Drivers: Develop regional portfolio choices and key growth levers to deliver on the defined role and performance metrics (KPIs) for the Bars category.
- Product
- Pipeline
Innovation: Define and steer the product innovation (new product launches) and renovation (brand refreshes) pipeline.
Guide early-stage concept development, cost-efficiency projects, and product compliance/sustainability initiatives.
- Financial & Margin
Management: Manage the long-term Profit & Loss (P&L) structure of the portfolio.
Drive gross margin profitability roadmaps and make strategic short- and long-term regional investment decisions.
- Cross-Functional
Governance: Lead a cross-functional steering team (comprising Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, and R&D) to govern and align regional marketing, product pipeline, and value-creation plans against long-term strategic growth goals.
- Brand Experience & Campaigns: Partner closely with Brand & Content teams to design and build best-in-class consumer activations and integrated, memorable brand advertising campaigns and experiences.
- Short-Term Performance Tracking & In-Flight Adjustments
- Commercial Performance Reviews: Track and review in-year performance against volume, revenue, household penetration, and market share.
- Local Market Collaboration: Support regional markets and local marketing teams with operational course-correction strategies and best-practice sharing.
- Tactical Investment Shifts: Recommend and execute in-year adjustments to brand-level Advertising & Promotion (A&P) budgets.
- Strategic
Oversight: Maintain a "helicopter perspective" on regional in-year performance to identify cross-market trends and escalate critical insights to senior regional leadership forums.
- Capability Development & Organisational Transformation
- Commercial Transformation: Shape and co-lead commercial transformation projects (such as integrated sales and marketing initiatives) to optimize regional efficiency.
- State-of-the-Art Marketing Capabilities: Act as a role model and driver for modern marketing capability transformations across the regional community.
- Talent Development: Coach, mentor, and grow direct reports, ensuring they have high-quality, stretch development plans and clear career pathways.
What can you expect from Mars?
- Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
- Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
- A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
- An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
- #TBdigital
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Regional Brand Portfolio Director - Chocolate & Snacking Bars (Snickers, Twix, Bounty) in Slough employer: Mars
Mars in Melton Mowbray is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. With competitive salaries, private healthcare, and ample opportunities for career advancement, employees are encouraged to grow and thrive in their roles while working with state-of-the-art technology in the FMCG sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Regional Brand Portfolio Director - Chocolate & Snacking Bars (Snickers, Twix, Bounty) in Slough
✨Dive into Local Events
Get involved with local marketing and communications events! These are great places to meet people from the industry, learn about temporary roles, and even uncover hidden job leads. Check out local networking events or marketing conferences that might be happening in your area.
✨Show Off Your Work
Create a standout digital portfolio showcasing your previous campaigns, writing samples, or projects. Share this on social media and professional groups relevant to marketing-communications. This public visibility can often attract interest from potential employers, especially for those temporary gigs!
✨Utilise Online Job Boards
Focus on job boards specific to marketing and communications. Sites like MarketingJobs.com or even LinkedIn can have temp roles that aren’t always advertised on the usual job sites. Keep your eyes peeled and apply through our website—temp roles can come up unexpectedly, and you want to be first in line!
✨Tap into Your Uni's Resources
If you're still at university, don't forget to lean on your career services for temporary marketing roles. They often have connections to firms looking for interns or temporary staff who can jump in at short notice. Plus, networking with your professors can lead to some valuable opportunities—always worth a chat!
We think you need these skills to ace Regional Brand Portfolio Director - Chocolate & Snacking Bars (Snickers, Twix, Bounty) in Slough
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Experience with Campaigns:In marketing-communications, it’s all about showcasing your ability to create impactful campaigns. Make sure to include any relevant projects you’ve worked on in your CV, detailing your role, the strategies used, and the results achieved. We're looking for candidates who can demonstrate their creativity and analytical skills!
Tailor Your Writing Samples:For a temporary role, we want to see your versatility and adaptability in communication. Include a couple of writing samples that align with our brand voice or reflect your ability to engage various audiences. This gives us a taste of what you can bring to the team at Mars from day one!
Show Off Your Digital Savvy:Digital marketing is a big part of marketing-communications, so make sure your application reflects your understanding of social media, SEO, and content marketing. Feel free to throw in any certificates you've earned in these areas—it shows your initiative and dedication to learning the latest trends!
Express Your Enthusiasm for the Short-Term Role:In your cover letter, focus on why you’re interested in this temporary position at Mars specifically. Share what you hope to learn during your time with us and how you can contribute to our ongoing projects. We're all about passion and potential, so let that shine through!
How to prepare for a job interview at Mars
✨Showcase Your Creative Portfolio
As a candidate for a temporary marketing-communications role at Mars, your portfolio will speak volumes. Bring along samples of your best work—think campaigns you've managed, social media content, and any visuals. Be ready to talk through your creative process and the impact your work had on previous projects.
✨Understand the Latest Trends
We know the marketing-communications field moves at lightning speed. Make sure you brush up on the latest trends—such as digital storytelling or the effectiveness of influencer partnerships. Being able to discuss these trends during your interview will show Mars you're not just up-to-date but also eager to innovate.
✨Highlight Your Adaptability
Since this is a temporary position, emphasise your ability to adapt quickly and work on short timelines. Share examples from your past where you had to pivot a strategy or campaign swiftly to meet changing demands. This will reassure Mars that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Ready Your Communication Strategy
Be prepared for questions that assess your communication skills. You might get asked to pitch a marketing idea on the spot or create a quick content plan. This is your chance to shine and show how your unique perspective can solve problems for Mars, so think on your feet and don't hesitate to showcase your creativity!
